Pull for Colorado on July 10; fight knapweed now

By Ellen Nelson
Larimer County Weed District

The growing season is well underway. While gardens are flowering, and cornfields and pastures are turning green, noxious weeds and other uninvited plants are also flourishing.

In response to this flush of growth, there are many educational and hands-on, weed-related events planned by Larimer County and other groups.

Pulling for Colorado, also known as P4C, is a statewide promotion to educate Coloradans about the impacts of noxious weeds on natural, agricultural and recreational lands. Events such as weed pulls, weed hikes and educational booths are scheduled statewide to occur around Pulling for Colorado Day on July 10. Funding for these events is provided by the Colorado Department of Agriculture and allocated through a small grant program by the Colorado Weed Management Association.

The North Fork Weed Co-op will host a P4C event at Red Mountain Open Space on July 10 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The weed co-op has been awarded a grant to present an educational booth and distribute information on noxious weeds in Larimer County. NFWC members will hand out educational brochures and T-shirts at the Red Mountain Open Space trailhead parking lot. Please stop by and visit with the weed experts before hiking the beautiful trails. For more information on this event, contact the weed co-op at 216-6369 or northforkweedcoop@yahoo.com.

In addition to these events, there are programs available to help landowners in certain locations combat specific noxious weeds. The Larimer County Weed District has received a grant from Colorado Department of Agriculture to control spotted knapweed in northern Larimer County. The grant funds a cost-share program designed to reimburse private landowners 50 percent of the cost of labor and herbicides used to control knapweed on their property.

Landowners wishing to participate in the program first need to contact the weed district office at 498-5768 to schedule a site visit. Once verification of the weed species and management recommendations are agreed upon, landowners can apply herbicide themselves or hire an applicator to do so. After the knapweed has been treated, the landowner will need to submit receipts for herbicide and labor for reimbursement.

Spotted knapweed and a related species, diffuse knapweed, are not yet common in Larimer County. Most infestations occur along northern Highway 287, the Red Feather Lakes Road and Poudre Canyon. This weed reproduces only by seed and lacks the massive underground root systems of Canada thistle and leafy spurge. For this reason, effective weed control now could eliminate or at least minimize the spread of this noxious weed in Larimer County. Spotted knapweed already infests millions of acres in Wyoming, Montana, Idaho and Washington and is responsible for significant loss of wildlife habitat and livestock production. Knapweed out-competes native grasses and is inedible by elk, deer and other wildlife.

Now is an optimal time to control this invasive noxious weed in Larimer County before widespread environmental and economic impacts occur.